The strongpolitical economystrong of peacebuilding a critical theory.pdfVIP

The political economy of peacebuilding: a critical theory perspective Michael Pugh Copyright International Journal of Peace Studies, vol.10, no.2, autumn/winter 2005, pp.23-42 ______________________________________________________ The ideology of the liberal peace has propelled the political economies of war-torn societies into a scheme of global convergence towards “market liberalisation”. This orthodoxy was an uncontestable assumption underlying external economic assistance. However, the project faltered under its inherent contradictions and because it ignored the socio-economic problems confronting war-torn societies, even aggravating them by increasing the vulnerability of populations to poverty and shadow economic activity. Although revisionists have embarked on a mission to boost the UN’s peacebuilding capacity and also rescue the Millennium Development Goals, the basic assumptions of the liberal peace are not challenged and potential alternatives are overlooked. _______________________________________________________ How far are external agencies dictating the pattern of economic transformation in societies emerging from conflict? From current practice in a variety of situations, and from proposed reforms to peacebuilding and development, the answer seems to be: “as far as the eye can see!” The hubris of peacebuilders keys the political economy of war-torn societies into a map captioned “the liberal peace project” that, in its economic dimension, requires convergence towards “market liberalisation.” This became an aggressively promoted orthodoxy, with variations, derived from the late 1990s Washington consensus on the logically correct path of development for undeveloped states. Perhaps not treated as a high priority in stabilising peace per se (the vanguard of which has been allocated to fostering security, rule of law and democratic forms), neoliberal economic policies we